In defense of Maggie's Mercantile on Craig, her manager and staff...
Maggie's opened quietly on Craig Street this week for good reason...we were dealing with a new environment, new equipment, a new style of service and new staff. The comments posted by "Nate" are most unfortunate. Had he not been in such haste to write his review and post it, he might have learned that his meal and those of his friends had been miscalculated due to an uncalibrated scale. When the problem was noticed, I immediately asked my manager, Matt Miller, if he knew who those people were...he said he did but was not sure how to contact them. I asked him to try to do so as we had every intention of making amends on the issue of the overcharge.(others that evening were overcharged as well) Complaining about a young, talented staff on their first dinner service was just plain mean. My manager and new staff had worked for days to open this beautiful new location and, as every vegetarian, vegan and raw food friend knows, this new restaurant has been in the making for two years. A new staff cannot be trained without customers therefore, we considered our first week a "soft" opening during which few people would come in and thereby give us a chance to practice the new style of service. I have tried to design a cafeteria style experience for breakfast and lunch when I expect the greatest amount of foot traffic...people in a hurry...for dinner, I am creating a different feeling...using china instead of melamine dishware, linens (albeit there were none that night)..eventually music... candlelight...something slightly more refined in a dining event. The new staff was trying to wrap their minds around the change in service from day to evening (this was their first dinner service remember) when two couples charged in, asked to run a tab and began pointing to the food they wanted...pretty much the way we do things in Stahlstown. The staff member wasn't sure how to handle it so she simply did what she was asked. In the evening, the customer is going to create their own salad from the bar, staff will take the entree order, bus plates and serve beverages then deliver the portioned entree when it's ready...but those young couples barely gave them a chance to practice the directives I had given them. I'm sorry your dinner was so awful but I can't allow you to criticize my staff who have worked so hard and made mistakes beyond their control. In the meantime, issues with our scale have been corrected, the place is doing well and no one has complained about costs. You might try to be more forgiving of something new and untested before you put information on a blog that can do serious damage to a business which, essentially, was created for YOU! Stahlstown has never made a dollar profit but I have persisted as it is something I passionately believe in...I have been trying to bring Maggie's to Pittsburgh to answer the desires of people just like you. If however, you are expecting Stahlstown prices in a location where the overhead is 20 times higher than my little operation off the turnpike, you are naieve. I have invested heavily in developing a beautiful place for the narrow demographic that Maggie's attracts...city taxes are high...staff is 5 times greater, importing year-round organics is costly, the ingredients in raw foods are intense, hiring new cooks to accomodate demand...gas to deliver our food to Pittsburgh isn't cheap either so don't imagine I am making money on this enterprise...it comes from the heart as it always has. And, Nate and friends..do be sure to drop in again so Matt or I may refund your overcharge. Then perhaps you will make some amends yourself.

My wife and I visited Maggie's on Craig on Tuesday, opening day. Nate has already echoed most of my thoughts; full stomach, empty wallet. However, I'd like to offer some constructive criticism of Maggie's of my own.

First impressions are everything. If I walk into a restaurant and I see a buffet line in a cafeteria-style environment, I'm going to get in line and order like I'm in a cafeteria. Glass plates and music don't change anything. Anyhow, offering to run a tab was meant to help the staff by not putting them on the spot by trying to ring four people up at once.

It is nearly impossible to portray an upscale ambiance in a cafeteria-style restaurant with a buffet-style service. Maggie's would be better served to go 100% sit-down style. It's nice to be able to see the selection through the glass buffet protector, but I think that ordering should be done in a more traditional form with a menu (and maybe some samples!). The hybrid dining style just doesn't work for me and is far from upscale. A traditional sit-down style would work much better.

Secondly, it is also very difficult to convey a sense of being refined when food is sold by the pound as at a traditional deli (except way more expensive).

Thirdly, although I left with a full stomach of wonderful vegan food (big fan of the hot food and dessert, not so much for the salad bar), I also left with a much lighter wallet. I'm willing to give Maggie's a pass on their efforts to experiment with a new "hybrid" dining style, but for goodness sake, $60 is a bit steep for two people at a deli. Chalk it up to high prices or an uncalibrated scale, it doesn't really matter. I discussed what I thought to be an errant bill and was "assured" that everything was correct. Vegan, organic, whatever. Too pricey! Enough said.

Finally, I understand that Maggie is not trying to turn a huge profit, but it is a business, and in order to succeed, it must function like one to stay "alive". That includes competitive pricing, trained staff, accurate scales, and a viable target demographic.

The bottom line is that Maggie's has some challenges ahead in order to try to balance dining style, service, and pricing. Maggie's has some growing pains to work through before finding its true niche.

I'm going to stick up for Nate here. By the way, that's his real name, no quotes needed.

I thought Nate's review was totally objective and he was both fair an unbiased.

After reading it, I didn't feel like he was saying his dinner was awful at all . . . he said the food was REALLY GOOD and he liked it.

The only negatives he said was the prices were high, and the service needed to pay more attention to the diners.

How was he to know the scale was broken??

If the staff is so highly trained, wouldn't they know to check on the needs of the diners, i.e. more water as needed (and to use a proper ice scoop)?

I don't know Nate, other than from reading his reviews, but I can say that he is not trying to damage your restaurant's reputation, he is trying to report the facts, and none of us reading on this site want to see your business fail, but you should be open to feedback.

You should also thank him for writing this article, because I wouldn't have even known Maggie's was open without seeing it here first.

I have always enjoyed Maggie's in Stahlstown, and hope to visit the Oakland location soon.

That should give you some time to get your act together, because I will call it like I see it too.

Best wishes for success!!! Looking forward to trying Maggie's in Oakland!!

And, Thank you for your passion and running these businesses at a loss . . . I hope that changes and you make money at it someday.

Wow! What a surprising response from "Maggie". I thought Nate's review was fair and forgiving of opening-night issues. His main complaint was the prices, which according to posts I've seen elsewhere the prices have been adjusted.

"Maggie", I dont know you, but your comments come across as arrogant and condescending. I'm hoping that isn't the case and is just an overly-sensitive response to criticism of something you have put a lot of effort and money in to.

I was still eager to try Maggie's after reading Nate's review. I will still give Maggie's a chance by visiting next weekend, even though I'm now somewhat reluctant after reading your comments.

I've loved the food at Maggie's for years, from its original Donegal location to its various Oakland incarnations. I've avoided reviewing it myself, though, mainly because of the price issue. It's not a miscalibrated scale...it's a misleading sign that says hot items are $6.50 with the words "per 1/2 pound" in tiny letters. Also, we found it a bit strange that the "hot" food is pre-prepared and heated up in the microwave when you get your order. The "hot bar" items are actually refrigerated even though they are laid out to appear otherwise. Thinking of it in terms of a deli makes that fact a little less jarring.

It's great that Maggie has the means to run businesses that don't make profit, but I don't really think Oakland is the right location for this type of business. Maggie's might do better in locations like Shadyside or Mt. Lebanon, where the average patron may have a little more money to throw around. For a deli-style eatery smack in the middle of two colleges, one tends to expect college- and grad-student friendly prices. Most university staff don't make enough to make this a regular lunch place, either. :)

It's unfortunate, but I don't expect the new location to last long. It's a shame that raw and organic foods are so expensive, but it's also unwise to expect patrons - even patrons who love this kind of food - to pay more than double the lunch prices of any other restaurant on Craig street (except Lucca). At the very least, some under-$10 meal options would do well to attract repeat customers. As it is, I probably won't go back. It's tasty, but I can make similar food at home for a fraction of the cost.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Thanks for the review, Nate and co...and best of luck to Maggie.

Maggie's had a branch on Atwood Street in Oakland a few years ago. It seemed like a winning location and I, along with most of the people I work with at Pitt, were happy when it moved in.
It had a lovely ambiance, beautifully decorated, pleasant background music. The food was good. But during the year or two it was there I only went twice (and I eat out for lunch several times a week in Oakland). Why? The same reasons mentioned in the blog post and comments.
1. Deli style. If you want to be a deli then please, do. If you want to be a sit-down restaurant do that. You can do both at the same time, too. But not the weird way Maggie's does it
2. Sloowwwwww. Everybody in Oakland has an hour for lunch. Places that can't do lunch in that amount of time don't make it.
3. Awful service. Completely unprofessional. The waitstaff were clueless about how to take orders and serve efficiently. Seemed surprised that everyone at a table would want to be served at the same time so we could eat together, and getting a glass of water was impossible.
4. Microwave. Aaack. Please, do NOT microwave my lunch and then pretend to be elegant. Horrible. Or get a really really big microwave so you can zap everyone's at the same time. No, don't do that either. Just ditch the microwave.
5. Expensive. I didn't think it was horribly overpriced, but I did think it had prices that should only be seen in restaurants where you sit down, look at a menu and are waited on.

So it sounds like the new location is the same as the Atwood St. The problems clearly lie with the owner/manager who has a good idea but a lack of understanding customers needs.